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Who Is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history. A dominant force from his high school days, he was recruited to play at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to three national championships. His dominance continued at the professional level, first with the Milwaukee Bucks and later with the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the course of his illustrious NBA career, Abdul-Jabbar won six championships and earned six MVP awards, ultimately finishing as the league’s all-time leading scorer. His remarkable skill and leadership on the court earned him recognition as a legendary player, with his influence and talent evident from his early years in high school.
Early Life and Education
Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947, in New York City, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the only child of Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr., a New York City policeman, and his wife, Cora. Known as Lew Alcindor during his early years, he was always the tallest student in his class. By the age of nine, he stood at 5’8″, and by the time he reached eighth grade, he had grown to 6’8″ and could already dunk a basketball, showcasing his exceptional athletic potential.
Alcindor’s talent on the basketball court emerged early. At Power Memorial Academy, he set New York City school records in both scoring and rebounding, leading his team to an impressive 71 consecutive wins and three consecutive city championships. His team’s success led to the National Sports Writers naming them the “#1 High School Team of the Century” in 2000.
College Career and John Wooden
In 1965, after graduating from high school, Alcindor enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he would continue his domination in college basketball. Under the guidance of legendary coach John Wooden, Alcindor helped lead the Bruins to three consecutive national championships from 1967 to 1969. His individual accolades were just as impressive, as he was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in each of those years, solidifying his reputation as one of the most dominant players in college basketball history.
Milwaukee Bucks
In the spring of 1969, the Milwaukee Bucks, only in their second year of existence, selected Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Abdul-Jabbar made an immediate impact, finishing second in the league in scoring and third in rebounding, earning the prestigious Rookie of the Year award.
He played a pivotal role in transforming the fortunes of the franchise. After a disappointing 27-win season the year prior, the retooled Bucks, with Abdul-Jabbar anchoring the paint, improved significantly to a 56-26 record.
The following season, the Bucks added future Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson to their roster, propelling the team to an incredible 66-16 regular season record. The Bucks went on to dominate the playoffs, sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 NBA Finals. That same year, Abdul-Jabbar earned his first Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, the first of six such honors throughout his illustrious career.
Conversion to Islam
Shortly after the 1971 season, Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam, adopting the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which translates to “noble, powerful servant.” In 1974, he led the Bucks to another NBA Finals appearance, although the team ultimately fell to the Boston Celtics.
Los Angeles Lakers
Despite his on-court success in Milwaukee, Abdul-Jabbar struggled to find personal fulfillment in the city. In an early interview, he remarked, “Live in Milwaukee? No, I guess you could say I exist in Milwaukee. I am a soldier hired for service and I will perform that service well. Basketball has given me a good life, but this town has nothing to do with my roots.”
After the 1975 season, Abdul-Jabbar demanded a trade and was eventually sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package of players, none of whom matched Abdul-Jabbar’s impact.
Over the next 15 seasons with the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar helped establish Los Angeles as a perennial powerhouse. Beginning in the 1979-80 season, when he was paired with rookie point guard Magic Johnson, the Lakers won five NBA titles. Abdul-Jabbar’s signature skyhook became one of the most unstoppable shots in basketball history. The Lakers enjoyed dominance during this era, overcoming fierce competition from teams like Julius “Dr. J” Erving’s Philadelphia 76ers, Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics, and Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons.
Hollywood Calls
Abdul-Jabbar’s success on the court also translated to opportunities in Hollywood. He appeared in several films, including the 1979 martial arts film Game of Death and the 1980 comedy Airplane! Even in his 30s, Abdul-Jabbar continued to play at a high level, averaging more than 20 points per game. In the 1985 NBA Finals, at the age of 38, he was named Finals MVP after leading the Lakers to a six-game victory over the Celtics.
Stats
When Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989, he was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points and became the first player in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His career totals included 17,440 rebounds, 3,189 blocks, and 1,560 games played. He also set records for most points scored, most blocks, and most MVP titles by the time of his retirement.
Reflecting on his career longevity, Abdul-Jabbar later stated, “The ’80s made up for all the abuse I took during the ’70s. I outlived all my critics. By the time I retired, everybody saw me as a venerable institution. Things do change.”
Post-Playing Life
Since retiring from basketball, Abdul-Jabbar has remained active in the sport, working with both the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He also spent a year as a coach on the White Mountain Apache reservation in Arizona, an experience he chronicled in his 2000 book A Season on the Reservation. Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar is a published author, having written several books, including On the Shoulders of Giants (2007), about the Harlem Renaissance.
Abdul-Jabbar has also been a public speaker and a spokesperson for various products. In 1995, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Despite being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in November 2009, his prognosis remained favorable, and by February 2011, he was declared cancer-free.
In 2016, he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
In the spring of 2018, at the age of 71, Abdul-Jabbar competed on Dancing with the Stars: Athletes, partnering with reigning champion Lindsay Arnold. He also continued to contribute to public discourse, writing essays on issues such as the firing of Roseanne Barr and the portrayal of socially conscious villains in popular entertainment.
Personal Life and Children
A father of five, Abdul-Jabbar has four children from his first marriage to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar and a son from another relationship.